No longer an independent, Ahok still seeks volunteers

BINTANGNEWS.com
–Even
though he is no longer an independent candidate, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok”
Tjahaja Purnama says he will still rely on volunteerism for his campaign.

Ahok said during the
inauguration of his campaign team’s headquarter in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on
Thursday evening that he wanted to keep up the tradition of Teman Ahok (Friends
of Ahok).

“I want residents to
get involved in the campaign. They can take part by donating their money or
energy,” he said.

Teman Ahok, which
initially pushed the incumbent to run as an independent candidate, claimed to
have collected a significant amount of funds by selling merchandise. “Teman
Ahok once sold tickets for an event and they earned Rp 1.6 billion
[US$121,600],” Ahok said.

Teman Ahok is a
volunteer group that helped the incumbent governor gather 1 million ID-backed
support forms to nominate him on an independent ticket for the election, slated
for Feb. 15 next year.

The formation of
Teman Ahok, costing Rp 500 million, was funded by 10 individuals who used to
support President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The names of the individuals remain
unknown.

However, after
securing a nomination from the NasDem Party, Hanura Party and Golkar Party, the
governor dropped his independent bid and accepted the parties’ offer to run as
their candidate.

Teman Ahok members,
however, have remained loyal to the governor and have become involved in his
campaign team.

Ahok said he had told
the parties supporting him that he would use Teman Ahok’s strategies, including
its volunteers, in his campaign. “I have told them that we will use a different
technique,” he said.

Politicians normally
hold political rallies to which people are often only invited to carry or wear
party paraphernalia. Ahok said he did not want to campaign in that manner.

The governor is
seeking to scrap an article in the Regional Elections Law that obliges him to
take leave during the campaign period, as he wants to continue working on the
city’s many projects.

Teman Ahok
spokeswoman Amalia Ayuningtyas, who was selected as the secretary of the
campaign team, said Teman Ahok and the political parties were still cooking up
a campaign strategy.

“We also have not
figured out our position on the team,” she said, adding that a controversial
list circulated on social media, allegedly naming Ahok’s campaign team members,
including a number of Teman Ahok members and social media activists, was still
tentative.

Amalia said the
parties were waiting for Ahok to appoint a running mate. “We will start
intensifying the campaign once the deputy governor hopeful is already
definite,” she said.

Amalia added that
Teman Ahok, previously known as an antipolitical party movement, was now
helping with campaign preparations. “For example, we helped design the
inauguration of the campaign headquarters last night,” she said.

She added that
although the group did not hold a strategic position, the three political
parties still discussed various matters with its members.

“They also agree that
the campaign will continue to rely on volunteerism where residents can get
involved actively,” she said, adding that residents could take part in a
potluck during the inauguration of the headquarters, for example.

She said a supporter
had helped them pay the rent of the headquarters, located in a high-end area in
Jakarta. Amalia, however, refused to reveal the name of the supporter.

Nusron Wahid, head of
the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers
(BNP2TKI), who is also head of Ahok’s reelection campaign, denied the validity
of the list that circulated on social media.

The list consisted of
more than 100 figures, including politicians from NasDem, Golkar and Hanura. It
also featured social media influencers who are known to support Ahok on Twitter
such as Poltak Hotradero, activist Guntur Romli, social media activist Shafiq
Pontoh, movie director Fajar Nugros and singer J-Flow.***